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Instructables has a good thing going with their regular “theme” contests. They just finished up with paracord; now they’re starting in on coffee cups. Reminds me of the “MacGyver Challenge” that ReadyMade magazine used to run back before their facelift. Shown above is user bertus52x11‘s simple hack for catching the plaster that would otherwise fall everywhere when you drill into the ceiling.

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c’t – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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Great idea! I hope I remember it next time I’m drilling into a ceiling (which I don’t do often).

El Gato Cranko

I wish I knew about this a couple of summers ago – it took me a couple of days to get rid of that crap.

chizz

…use an envelope. Hole in the flap that you drill through, dust drops in to the open envelope.

craig

The only reason I can think of to drill into ceilings or walls, is mounting plastic drywall anchors to hang/mount things. I found years ago that twisting a #2 phillips screwdriver into the sheetrock makes the perfect size hole for the plastic anchor (practicly no dust) which you tap flush with the screwdriver handle. Then you use the same screwdriver for your drywall anchor screw. By the time you are fitting the cup on the drill, I’d be done with the project. Now, a paper plate with a hole saw for electrical ceiling boxes, now you are golden on that idea!

Sean Michael Ragan

The only time I think it might not work is if you have to drill into a joist to mount something that has to bear a lot of weight.